Making Room For A Bigger Garage Door: How It's Done

When you have a garage door that seems small in comparison to the size of garage you have, and you would love a bigger garage door, you are in luck. Most garage door installation technicians are able to widen the garage door opening prior to installing a larger garage door.

Measure the Width and Height of the Front and Back Walls 

The first thing you need to do is take measurements of the front and back walls of your garage. You want to be sure that the bigger garage door will not only fit on the front of the garage but also that when the door is opened and rolled toward the back of the garage, it will fit without ramming through the back of the garage. There needs to be enough room height-wise, lengthwise, and depth-wise to accommodate a larger garage door.

Buy Your Larger Garage Door

Next, take the measurements you have and go buy your bigger garage door. To make sure the door will fit your measurements, ask the garage door sales associate once you find a door you like. He/she can confirm that the door will fit. (Otherwise, buy the door through the garage door installation company.)

Knocking out Walls and Breaking out Door Frames

Next, the wall areas where the sides of the larger door will go have to be knocked out. Take care not to hit any electrical wiring and/or light switches. Knock as much of these sidewall bits out as you can. The garage door technician will come and help put supports in place to prevent a roof collapse, and then the old garage door frame can be removed.

Removing Old Garage Door Components

All the old garage door components, from the side tracks and casters to the door itself, has to be removed. You can do this either before or during your garage wall demolition. Unscrew it, unbolt it, and place it in a pile until you can decide what to do with it next.

Installing and Constructing the Wider/Taller Door Frame

The next part involves constructing the wider and/or taller door frame. This frame does double duty. First, it provides support to the front part of the roof of the garage. Second, it is the main support for the new garage door. Once it is properly completed, the technician installs the new door.

For more information, contact a company like Overhead Doors Unlimited Inc.